58 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS 
thirty-three coins a minute and is quite automatic in its action, 
simply having to be fed with sovereigns or half sovereigns as the 
case may be. Each machine has a tube in a semi-circular form. 
which is capable of holding two hundred coins edgewise at a time 
and is adjusted to such an angle that the weight of the coins in 
‘the tube will gradually shove forward the first coin, which drops 
on a little table which acts as a scale. At a corner of this 
table two hammers are fastened and these hammers automatically 
work backwards and forwards at different elevations. If the 
table receives a coin of standard weight it will sink far enough 
to escape the higher hammer from striking it and will then be 
struck by the lower hammer which tosses the coin into a recep- 
tacle to the left, where all standard coins are accumulated. If 
the next coin in the tube happens to be of light weight the table 
will not be able to escape the higher hammer and will consequent- 
ly be struck by it and the contents of the table thrown to the right. 
As has already been shown, the whole coin of the Realm is deposit- 
ed with the Bank of England and passes through this weighing 
machine room and thus a constant re-adjustment of the coin of 
the Realm is going on. The light weight coins are cut in half 
by a machine and sent to the mint for re-coinage. The Bank or 
party depositing a coin of light weight is debited with the short- 
age in weight and thus the gold coin of England is kept up to its 
present high standard. The judgment of this machine is most 
unerring and it is through this ingenious device that the coin in 
circulation is kept so.perfect. 
One hundred and seventy-five persons are engaged to manage 
the national debt account in the Bank. The Bank derives an in- 
come of two hundred thousand pounds a year for keeping the 
Government account. 
Although the active opposition to the Bank which it encount- 
ered in its earlier days has died away, still there is no institution 
which is so severely criticised as the ‘‘Old Lady of Threadneedle 
Street.’’ This, however, is natural, considering the arduous and 
peculiar responsibilities attaching to the management of the 
Bank. 
